


Altihex Sky

by naboru



Category: Transformers Generation One
Genre: Angst, Dark, Fluff, Gen, Implied Relationships, M/M, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-25
Updated: 2015-10-25
Packaged: 2018-04-28 02:33:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5074000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/naboru/pseuds/naboru
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Vortex hates when Blast Off is unwell and keeps quiet about it. <br/>Blast Off, Vortex, G1 (part of the <a href="http://community.livejournal.com/lost_carcosa/19574.html#cutid1">Dysfunction AU</a>), season 3</p>
            </blockquote>





	Altihex Sky

**Author's Note:**

> **Continuity:** G1 (part of the [Dysfunction AU](http://community.livejournal.com/lost_carcosa/19574.html#cutid1)), season 3  
>  **Disclaimer:** Sadly, nothing is mine.  
>  **Prompt:** #5 - Red sky at night  
>  **Beta:** ultharkitty

Vortex woke up and rebooted his optics. The world outside glowed red; he'd never get used to the nights looking like that. It was so different to Cybertron, or even Earth or Chaar.

They’d been on this planet for a few days now, waiting for Soundwave and the Sweeps to finish their business, and Vortex still couldn’t work out why he'd had to go with them. He could only guess that it was because Onslaught was on another mission, and Galvatron and Cyclonus didn’t want to deal with him alone on Chaar. At least they’d sent Blast Off as a ride.

At first, it had looked as though Blast Off welcomed the longer trip, but considering there were passengers, Vortex might have been wrong. The shuttle was hard to read in alt-mode, and he hadn’t talked to him much during the flight.

By now, Vortex knew Blast Off would probably rather have stayed on Chaar.

He was a bit offended that Blast Off really thought Vortex wouldn’t notice that he wasn’t recharging.

Just like the past three nights, Blast Off sat on the other berth, leaning against the head end and sipping energon slowly. It wasn’t hard to tell that he was exhausted to the core.

“You'll never say anything on your own, will you?” Vortex said, and heaved himself up.

The shuttle’s head turned, the visor dim. Blast Off kept quiet, and Vortex tried not to get angry.

“Have you even slept a single joor since we got here?” His tone was annoyed. They were team, Blast Off should talk to him about things like that.

Blast Off merely shrugged.

“Stop pretending it’s nothing. You’re tired, and you can draw your energy field as close as you like, I know.”

At that, the purple visor brightened slightly. “Why do you care anyway?”

Of course, that again. Vortex resisted growling at the phrase he’d heard often enough. He countered with the same arguments as always. “Because we’re team? Because it’s fragging annoying if you are like that?” Vortex’ rotors started twitching, and he added, “And because we know what can go wrong during re-entry when you’re tired like that. So, what is it?”

Blast Off stared at him, but didn’t reply for almost a klik. If Vortex hadn’t known the shuttle for eons already, he’d have pressed on after a few astroseconds. But that’d only result in more silence.

Eventually, the shuttle shrugged again. “I’m not sure why you want to know when you can’t change anything anyway.”

Vortex was close to throw his arms up in frustration. “Because sometimes talking helps. I know you want to deal with everything yourself, but for frag’s sake, that didn't even worked on Cybertron.”

“What do you mean?”

“I know you talked to Horizon and some of your friends about whatever was going on in your head back then. I’m not stupid, in case you haven’t noticed.”

Blast Off tensed, but Vortex didn’t care. He continued, “They’re not here, so you have to be content with talking to me. And now do that. I don’t wanna burn up during the next re-entry.”

Vortex had crossed a line, he knew that, and he hoped Blast Off was too tired to be angry.

Again there was a heavy silence between them. Blast Off’s optics staring into the distance without focus for a very long while. But when he started speaking, Vortex knew he wouldn’t get shot.

“I’m having sensor echoes.” 

Vortex shifted slightly on the berth. He had them himself often enough. “And they wake you up during your recharge cycle?”

“They make me not want to recharge at all.”

Wow, Vortex thought, it was that bad. Pondering on how he could make Blast Off relax enough to get rest, Vortex had a hard time to come up with something that didn’t involve interfacing. He didn’t expect Blast Off to tell him more. For the shuttle’s standards, he’d already said quite a lot.

Vortex was surprised when Blast Off broke the silence again.

“The sky looks like Cybertron,” he muttered, turning to the window, “when Altihex brunt down.”

Vortex’ rotor blades twitched again. Okay, this was even worse than he’d thought.

He couldn’t understand, and never had tried to, but Blast Off was a weird person if it came to places. He’d related to places more than to people, and he’d lost them all - HEX, Altihex, Kaon, even Earth - no wonder that red night sky fragged his processor up.

Stopping himself from sighing, Vortex got up and went to the other berth. “Make some room,” he said as he hopped onto the edge.

Blast Off frowned. “I don’t want to interface.”

“Me either.” It wasn’t completely true. “But you need rest, and I can wake you up before you get sensor echoes.”

The purple optics flickered. “How will you do that, you can’t know-“

“Your energy field,” Vortex interrupted. “I’ll feel it.”

Blast Off’s frame became even stiffer when the realisation hit.

Vortex had never meant to reveal it to the shuttle, that his open bond could tell him things like that, but he’d said it himself: they were team. And he didn’t want to die.

Without another word, Blast Off shuffled and made more room for Vortex to lie down next to him. The field was still drawn in, but Vortex could sense the exhaustion and anxiety beneath.

He really didn’t want to know what sensor echoes the red sky exactly triggered in Blast Off.

Vortex’ own field flared as tranquil as he dared, but he made sure it wasn’t soothing. It’d be like an insult to Blast Off if Vortex thought the shuttle needed that.

After over three breems, the red sky outside slowly morphed into a pale purple. It was only then that Blast Off relaxed and his field’s signature told clearly that he was asleep.

Vortex relaxed as well, confused that he’d been that tense in the first place. He shuffled closer to Blast Off, and hoped Soundwave and the Sweeps would take another day.


End file.
